What’s On

March 12 - March 19 Festival will feature world-leading artists

Plymouth University has organised extraordinary events with world-leading artists from March 12 to 19 for the enjoyment of all. Expressionism: Emotions Unchained will feature Erika Bakoff, soprano who performs at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, London-based Marmen String Quartet, mezzo-soprano Alison Wells and Mark Forkgen, conductor, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra ensemble Kokoro, and renowned pianist Robert Taub. Uniquely vibrant integration of pivotal music, visual art, and fi lm - only in Plymouth. Further information and tickets are available from www.plymouth. ac.uk/whats-on All events free for students! Following are four events of the festival:

Monday, March 14 Film: Metropolis

7pm. Jill Craigie Cinema, Roland Levinsky Building Fritz Lang’s extraordinarily gripping and prescient fi lm, introduced by Anna Navas and Dr Robert Taub

Wednesday, March 16 Talk: Visual Art and Music

7.30pm. Sherwell Centre

Art historian Deborah Lewer and pianist Robert Taub will discuss and illuminate the fertile – and often febrile – intersection of music and visual art that motivates Expressionism.

Saturday, March 19 Closing Concert: Schönberg, Berg, Webern

Pre-concert talk: 7pm; Performance 7.30pm. Sherwell Centre Erika Baikoff, acclaimed soprano, joins the Marmen Quartet in a rare performance of the highly imaginative, powerful, and stirring Schönberg String Quratet no.2. Exciting and deeply expressive string quartets of Berg and Webern complete the programme

Saturday, March 12 Opening concert: Scriabin and Schönberg

Pre-concert talk: 7pm; Performance 7.30pm. Sherwell Centre Robert Taub performs Alexander Scriabin’s fi nal mystical piano sonata in an unusual pairing with Arnold Schönberg’s haunting melodrama Pierrot Lunaire, beautifully sung by Alison Wells, with the BSO Ensemble Kokoro and Mark Forkgen, conductor.

Erika Baikoff

Plans for this year’s Tavistock Festival are well underway and organisers are looking forward to welcoming many well known artists and ensembles, including Helen Porter, the Mount Kelly Choral Society and Chamber Choir, the North Devon Sinfonia, the Stannary Brass Band — and there will be several lunchtime concerts, a choral workshop and a children’s concert. Tavistock Library is also planning to offer a number of events and The Bedford Hotel will be hosting a tea with entertainment. Full details will be available on Tavistock Festival’s website (www.tavistockfestival.org) and in the April/ May edition of the Links magazines. In the meantime, and thanks to the generous fi nancial support of our long standing signifi cant sponsors Alistair Kinsey and Hansford Bell, organisers have planned four Friends of the Festival events as follows: Mount Kelly Choral Society

Music Accord and Plymouth and District Organists’ Association two organ pieces were commissioned from Plymouth composer Clive Jenkins and American organist-composer Carson Cooman. This concert features both works together with music ‘from the New World’ and the Plymouth Suite by Percy Whitlock.

The South West Chamber Choir

Saturday, March 19 at Tavistock Parish Church, 7.30pm. Tickets available at the door. Refreshments available: A Lenten Feast of seasonal choral music to include works by Bach, Faure, Ireland, Mendelssohn and others. Further details to be published here when known.

Mary Kamila and Leslie Mazur-Park (Piano and Oboe)

Thursday, March 24 at Tavistock Parish Church, 1.00pm. Admission free. Refreshments available: One of the Festival’s most popular events including music for solo piano, solo oboe and piano duet.

Dr Sean Sweeney (Organ)

Thursday, March 10 at St Andrew’s Church, Whitchurch. 1pm Admission free. Refreshments available: One signifi cant loss in 2020 was the diminution of the Mayfl ower 400 programme. Supported by Plymouth Culture, Plymouth Dr Sean Sweney

Rosemary Turner (Soprano) and Andrew Wilson (Piano)

Thursday, March 31 at Tavistock Parish Church, 1.00pm. Admission free. Refreshments available: A diverting compilation for voice and piano including a selection from a new set of songs ‘Stella’s Cycle’ by Andrew Wilson. Tavistock Festival is all possible thanks to a number of sponsors and organisers welcome any support, fi nancial or otherwise to assist the development of the Festival. For more information contact Dr Sean Sweeney (chairman) on 07732 586 978 or sean.sweeney01@ btinternet.com

The South West Chamber Choir

Epic event line-up to enjoy in Plymouth this year

From pirates to pyrotechnics, live music to military moments and food festivals to family fun, Plymouth’s 2022 calendar is jam-packed with unmissable events. The plan for 2022 includes the return of some beloved events on the waterfront and throughout the city centre, which haven’t been able to take place since 2019 due to the ongoing pandemic. Each year, Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and Plymouth City Centre Company work together to offer a buzzing events programme which includes supporting independent organisers to host events in the city. Councillor Mark Deacon, cabinet member for customer services, culture, leisure and sport at Plymouth City Council, said: ‘We’re thrilled to be able to announce the epic line-up of events due to take place in Plymouth throughout 2022 – here are all the key dates you need for your diaries. After the last couple of years, it goes without saying that we appreciate things don’t always run as planned, but our hope is that this year we can ensure the safe return of some of Plymouth’s most popular free events, as well as some exciting new additions.’ The family fun begins in May, with the return of Pirates Weekend Plymouth (7 and 8 May) promising a swashbuckling two days of fun inspired by the high seas. The fun continues throughout May with free activities for families to enjoy at Lord Mayor’s Day (21 May). Foodie fans are in for a real treat this year too. Flavour Fest (27 to 29 May) is the South West’s largest free food and drink festival, with hundreds of local producers selling tasty treats and a chef stage with regional cookery stars showcasing their skills. Later in the year, the Plymouth Seafood and Harbour Festival (17 and 18 September) will celebrate all that’s great about the city’s stunning waterfront and fi shing industry. There’s also an impressive line-up of live music to enjoy over the summer. The Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend will see the 1 Big Summer music festival take to Plymouth Hoe (2 to 4 June), with the line-up set to include an epic range of music including Basement Jaxx, Years and Years, The Libertines and Supergrass. Following the success of the Tom Jones gig in September 2021, Cottage Field in Central Park is set to host more global music

superstars including singer-songwriter Paloma Faith (9 July) and chart-topping band Simply Red (10 July). Another popular event coming back to Plymouth Hoe this year is Armed Forces Day (25 June). It’s a great opportunity for everyone to show their support for the military community, from serving troops to veterans, cadets and their families. The day includes a packed programme of entertainment, with arena displays, interactive activities and parades, including a dedicated parade of veterans to

with special guests

& Flanagan's School of Irish Dance & Flanagan's School of Irish Dance

recognise the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War. Visitors can enjoy live performances throughout the day before a free evening concert takes to the stage, with an amazing headliner set to be announced soon. The Rehabilitation Triathlon hosted by the Royal Marines (23 June) will also take place in the city for the fi rst time, with outstanding athletes – Paralympians and Invictus Games competitors among them - competing in the tough event. The triathlon is made up of a swim in Tinside Lido, cycling time trials and static rowing on Plymouth Hoe. Plymouth’s military history will also be celebrated with Commando Gunners’ 60th Anniversary Parade (14 May) through the city, including the serving regiment and veterans, to mark the 60th anniversary of 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery in Plymouth. For sports fans, sailing enthusiasts and action lovers, SailGP is returning to the city for the second year in a row. Expect adrenaline fuelled excitement on Plymouth Sound as ten international sailing teams comprised of the world’s top athletes battle it out to win the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix (30 and 31 July). Anyone who is more excited about participating in sport rather than watching can sign up to the Britain’s Ocean City Running Festival (19 June), which includes the Plymouth Half Marathon, 10k and 5k, offering something for runners of all abilities. Look to the skies in August as the beloved British Firework Championships (17 and 18 August) sees six pyrotechnic companies

February 22 to 26 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is coming to Theatre Royal Plymouth

A major tour of C. S. Lewis’ classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe starring Samantha Womack as the evil White Witch is coming to Theatre Royal Plymouth from February 22 to 26. Described by its Bristol based director Michael Fentiman as ‘total theatre’ this epic new production is a mixture of dance, puppetry and actor-musicianship. Step through the wardrobe into the enchanted kingdom of Narnia. Join Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter as they wave goodbye to wartime Britain and embark on the most magical of adventures in a frozen, faraway land where they meet a faun, talking beavers, Aslan (the noble king of Narnia) and the coldest, most evil White Witch. Samantha Womack, who plays Narnia’s evil White Witch said of her role: ‘Having been a huge fan of C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for as long as I can remember, I am thrilled to be playing The White Witch. The book has always been a magical read and having watched incredible actors interpret this role in the past, I am excited to see what she holds for me. This production is so beautifully conceived with thrilling sets and costumes and an amazingly talented cast and creative team. I can’t wait to seduce, plot and terrify Narnia into a permanent winter.’ Samantha Womack returns to the theatre after her recent success playing the lead role in the sold-out production of The Girl on the Train in the West End and on tour. Sam’s past theatre roles include the Tony award-winning production of South Pacifi c in which she starred alongside Patrick Swayze, Guys and Dolls at London’s Piccadilly Theare (directed by Michael Grandage) and playing Emma in an award-winning production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal (directed by Sir Peter Hall). Her varied work on television has seen Samantha moving from comedy to drama with the cult success of BBC’s Game On and Babes in the Wood to ITV’s gritty crime drama Liverpool 1, Imogen’s Face and Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders. Films include playing the unhinged mother of Eggsy in the The Kingsman franchise sharing the screen with Colin Firth and Samuel L Jackson and playing Hazel in Jon Godbers Up ‘n Under. The tour of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is directed by Michael Fentiman, based on the original production directed by Sally Cookson with original Set and Costume design by Rae Smith. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is produced on tour by Elliott & Harper Productions and Catherine Schreiber and based on the original Leeds Playhouse production. The show broke box offi ce records when it opened at Leeds Playhouse in 2017 and played to packed houses and critical acclaim at the Bridge Theatre in London in 2019.

BELFAST| SONGLINES | PARALLEL MOTHERS THE DUKE | THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH and more, with Bringing in Baby, Captioned and Socially Distanced Screenings INDEPENDENT CINEMA FOR EVERYONE www.plymouthartscinema.org | Located at Plymouth College of Art, Tavistock Place, Plymouth, PL4 8AT

February Thousands of snowdrops in this lovely wood!

The Mount, Delamore, Cornwood, is opening on Saturday and Sunday, February 12 and 13 from 10.30am to 3.30pm. Admission is £4.50 and children are free. Welcome one of the fi rst signs of spring by wandering through the swathes of thousands of snowdrops in this lovely wood. Paths meander through a sea of these beautiful plants, some of which are unique to Delamore and which were sold as posies to Covent Garden market as late as 2002. There are mainly rough paths and woodland tracks so wheelchair access is diffi cult. The address is The Mount, Delamore, Cornwood, Ivybridge. Delamore Park PL21 9QP. It is closer to the village than to Delamore gardens but please park in the car park for Delamore Park Offi ces not in the village. Please check the website for the latest information prior to visiting. www.ngs.org.uk. The Cornwood Inn in the village is now community owned and at the time of writing, open and serving excellent food. The Mount is opening for the National Garden Scheme (NGS) which raises money to support Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Hospices UK, Carers Trust and other nursing and caring charities.

Musicians wanted for Dartmoor Border Morris

Meavy based Dartmoor Border Morris are keen to recruit new musicians to join their happy band in Meavy Parish hall on any Wednesday night. Morris dancers perform outside pubs whilst collecting for their favourite charity, in this case, the Dartmoor Rescue group. Within the group’s musical band there is a doctor, bio-medical scientist, a HGV lorry driver, retired school teachers and journalists. The idea really is that if you can carry your folk musical instrument, then you’re in! Dartmoor Border Morris is a mixed group with different ages and backgrounds, with some 27 dance members, and around eight musicians. They meet every Wednesday night in Meavy’s Parish Hall from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, then pop over the village green to the Royal Oak for a merry Morris music folk session, which is open to all to join in with a song, poem or a tune. Due to the Covid pandemic, contact Dartmoor Border Morris to check if the group are still training. Likewise, if you would like to book Dartmoor Border Morris for an event this year, be it a wedding, birthday treat or a gathering of friends you want to entertain, email www.dartmoorbordermorris.com or like the group’s Facebook page.